Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-10-16

Ton, ~. y.
Genl Thomas w. Hyde, Bath,
Maine.
Gen'l VIM. j. Sewall, Camden,
N. j.
Capt. John S. Mitchell. Milwaukee.
Capt. VIM. Blanding, San Fran
cisco, Cal.
The committee will leave Dayton,
Ohio, Nov. 10th and will remain two
days at Leavensworth, arriving on the
10th. They will visit Los Angeles
first and from here go to San Diego
and the north.
The Captain is here as the resi-
dent member of the Commission to
look for suitable location for the
Home, for which $150,000 has been
voted by Congress and bill for an
additional 100000 is now before Con-
gress.
Mr.. E. Germain, President of the
Board of Trade of this city, and Mr..
w. H. Bonsall drove Capt. Blainding
about the city yesterday, and while
nothing has been offered here at pres
ent it is expected that some
site will be donated by the citizens or
property holders of the county. Some
800 acres are needed for the Home
as the place must be fitted up with
buildings, hospitals, artificial lakes,
ponds, etc. The Home must be capa-
BILE of holding some 5000 people and
the cheaper the grounds can be had
the more can be expended in beauti-
fying them and in erecting the build
ing. Mr.. Lawrence, Secretary of the
Board Of Trade of this city has several
offers of sites which can be had at
low figures, but it his desire as well as
that of others that the Home be To-
Gated in this city. In this be has the
hearty cooperation of General Miles
and staff who think that there is no
place more suitable than this county.
A representative OF the HERALD called
upon Captain Blanding yesterday
afternoon and in reply to questions
the Captain gave graphic account
of the Soldiers Homes in Dayton,
Milwaukee, LOCUS, Leavenworth and
Hampton, Va. At Dayton Home
there are $500 veterans domiciled, and
they enjoy all the comforts that a
grateful country can give them. The
government has spent large amounts
in beautifying the grounds. He said
he never saw any grounds SO heauti-
ful as these except at the Capitol at
Washington. 1t is a perfect Home,
where all military discipline is dis
pensed with except the hosting of the
flag, the salute and the reveille in the
and lowering the flag at
night. "Taps" are sounded in the
evening.
He was pleased and charmed with
Los Angeles, and thought that if they
could get such a home here it would
prove great advantage, and his best
endeavor has been used in furthering
this proposition. In the East
veterans are transferred to any
home they may prefer, though in
such transfers simply to graf
ify their pleasure, they are expected
to pay their own expenses. Such be-
ing the case, many would come to
California and the more that come the
more money expended. There are
no punishments inflicted for ordinary
derilections of greater severity than
awarding a demerit mark and that
only when veteran becomes unruly.
At each of the homes is a large Ii
brary and theatre at which amateur
give dramatic entertain
ments for the benefit of the inmates.
Each one has a band of music, not
of the inmates, but regu,
lar paid band which performs every
day. Clergymen of various denomi-
nations are employed and paid out of
the Congressional fund. The amuse-
ments and entertainments are paid
for out of the Post fund, which is
procured from various sources, not
donations. The proceeds of the en-
60 to this fund, also the
proceeds of certain things which the
veterans are permitted to vend to
to the thousands of people who visit
the establishment, and the revenue
derived from the hotel on the grounds
for the accommodation of visitors.
The post fund at the Dayton Home
to $11 900, and is steadily in
creasing. All work on the grounds,
except in few departments, where
skilled labor is required, is done by
veterans who receive from % cents to
y per day, according to services rem
1ered. Their pensions are placed in
he pension fund, some of them hav-
ng as high as $4,000, which they are
allowed to drawn upon at their pleas
Ire.
1t is claimed that the inmates are
reated like children of indulgent par
,nts, the blind are read to and the
aides take great interest in them, and
urnish many provisions for them
All dead re buried with military
lonors. Homes are visited four times
year. Every year report is made
o the House Of Representatives in de-
all of all expenditures and the esti-
mates Of the expenditures for the
coming fiscal year are also made. |
This report is referred to the Military
Commission, which passes upon it |
nd acts under the Secretary of War.
The appropriation donated by Con-
ress for the fiscal year ending June
10, 1886, amount to slap 900; for
'ear ending June 80, 1887, 81 ,631 900
or year ending June 80, 1888, 81 ,S1O.-
'56.
The coming Congress will make ap-
'ropriations for year 1889 which will
'mount to 81, ,O00,0 200.
The expenditures for the five homes
lave been as follows for year June 80, |
1856: Dayton Home, 1851, ,724; Mil
yaukee Home, $157 900; Togus Home,
'156,153; Hampton, Va, Home,
'198,772; Leavenworth, 500, be-
ides the construction of buildings,
'edding, clothing, etc., the additional